The Overheard: an ecological approach to public sounding art

In Danish, the word overheard has two contrasting meanings. It both refers to the situation where we do not pay attention to what we were supposed to hear, as well as the situation in which we vaguely hear something that was not intended for our ears. Our artistic research project The Overheard1 reflects on this ambiguity by staging overhearing as an essential ecological mode of listening in which the field of the overheard as a “vibrant plenum reminds us of the profound physical interconnectedness that is our true environment” and thus as a “prime integrating factor in the understanding of our place” (Dunn, 1997).

Based on our previous experiments2,3,4,5 we are currently developing The Overheard as a part of the official program for European Capital of Culture, Aarhus 2017. The project has a broad, public impact and will be encountered by guests visiting the capital of culture and/or the website during 2017. The main objective is to invite everybody to listen more carefully and rediscover our sounding surroundings. This is unfolded by offering several different listening experiences in the form of thematic live concerts, sound installations and the development of a dynamic soundscape webpage. During 2017 we will present sound sculptures at different locations around Denmark - and connect the locations and sculptures in real time through an online mixer.